except for

preposition

1

: with the exception of

everyone was gone except for me

2

: were it not for

except for you I would be dead

Synonyms

• apart from
• aside from
• bar
• barring
• beside
• besides
• but
• except
• excepting
• excluding
• exclusive of
• other than
• outside
• outside of
• save
• saving

Examples of except for in a Sentence

except for newscasts, I hardly watch any television at all

Recent Examples on the Web

In fact, all of the top nominees benefited from that math, except for Johnson, who got all eight of his nominations as the artist without writing or producing any of his entries. —Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2025

The couple looked sleek in all-black ensembles — except for Paul's white dress shirt — and Leerdam was excited to chat about her fiancée's proposal, showing off her rock in interviews and photos at the event. —Natasha Dye, People.com, 27 Mar. 2025

What Glace Rone encountered was a completely white turkey, except for a single black tassel hanging from the bird’s breast. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025

Enhanced safety requirements culled all vehicles produced by the Detroit Three from the winners' circle except for three: The Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Lincoln Nautilus reached Top Safety Pick-plus status, while the Chevrolet Traverse made Top Safety Pick. —Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for except for

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore

Kids Definition

except for

preposition

: with the exception of : but for

all A's except for a B in Latin